Rye, New Hampshire – Nikki Haley said the disparaging suggestion in recent weeks that two leading rivals for the Republican presidential nomination are expecting her to be former President Donald Trump's 2024 running mate is that they He says this is a clear sign that he is “losing.''
But Haley, a former South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, has seized the opportunity to flatly rule out joining Trump on the Republican ticket if the former president wins his party's nomination. Gave again.
In an interview with Fox News Digital outside New Hampshire City Hall on Tuesday, Haley reiterated that she is running to win.
“I've said from the beginning that I'm not going to play second. It's disgusting for anyone to think that I'm going to do this much to play second. So I've said that from now on. I'm going to keep saying that. If people do that, I don't know what else to say because I'm not happy with that,” Haley said.
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Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks at City Hall in Rye, New Hampshire, on January 2, 2023. (FOX News/Paul Steinhauser)
Haley has surged in the polls over the past month in New Hampshire, which hosts the first primary and second overall election on the Republican nomination calendar. And in Iowa, where the Jan. 15 caucuses will be held ahead of the Republican schedule, Ms. Haley tied for second place with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, behind Mr. Trump. Trump remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination after winning the White House for the third consecutive year.
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In recent weeks, DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who finished third in New Hampshire's latest poll, have criticized Haley for not being a vocal enough critic of Trump. Both candidates claim Haley has ulterior motives.
“She won't answer directly. She owes you an answer on this. Will she accept Donald Trump's nomination for vice president? Yes or no?” DeSantis said last month in New Hampshire. He said this at City Hall.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at City Hall in Concord, New Hampshire on December 15, 2023. (FOX News/Paul Steinhauser)
The Florida governor added, “Under no circumstances can I say that I can't accept that, because that's not why I'm running.” “I plan to run for the nomination and become president.”
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Last month, the DeSantis campaign launched a website with the URL trumpnikki2024.com that included a video suggesting Haley could become Trump's No. 2 in the general election.
“Ron DeSantis and I have both ruled out accepting the vice presidency from Donald Trump,” Christie said multiple times over the past month, including at a town hall in New Hampshire and in an interview with CBS News. Nikki Haley insists that's not the case. ”
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, 2024 Republican presidential candidate, gives a speech at City Hall in Londonderry, New Jersey, on December 13, 2023. (FOX News/Paul Steinhauser)
“That's why she hasn't said anything strong about Donald Trump,” Christie argued.
Haley has frequently reiterated that she has no intention of running second in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
And early last month, when voters at an Iowa town hall asked Haley if she would compromise on her running mate, she shook her head and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Asked this week about the attacks from Christie and DeSantis, Haley told Fox News: “They've criticized me for everything. Let me be clear: That's what happens when you're losing.” Told.
“We have a race to win. We're going to win it. We're going to fight fair and square and ultimately make sure America is strong.”
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
